Multi-strand electrical power or communication cables are normally shipped and stored in a coiled condition on a flanged reel. A full reel of heavy-gage cable can be extremely heavy, weighing in excess of several hundred pounds, and it is difficult to handle when desired to wind or to unwind the cable from the reel.
Commercially available cable winding or unwinding devices designed to handle flanged reels are provided with an arm having a spindle to rotatably support a reel by its central opening. A drive pin mounted on the arm engages a recess on one of the reel flanges, which is spaced radially outwardly from the central opening of the reel. The drive pin is advanced along a circular path to rotate the reel in the desired direction.
This device is not entirely satisfactory because the installation of the reel on the support arm is a delicate procedure as it requires to manually pre-position the reel in a way to simultaneously align the central opening of the reel with the spindle of the supporting arm and the recess with the drive pin. This operation is labour-intensive especially with heavy reels.